Thanks to you all your kind words and advice are greatly appreciated.
Northerner i would be really interested to know how you get on with your running what you eat and drink before and during a run etc because before all this happened i was a keen runner and have indeed completed 6 marathons the last being london last april, not very quick only 4 hr 30 but i did it thats the main thing.
So any help to get me running again once my levels are stable would be great thanks
Dean
I was supposed to be running a marathon the week I was diagnosed, so it was quite a shock to end up lying in a hospital bed with DKA instead.
You must definitely get back to running again, it'll help in so many ways! First thing to take on board is that you need to be patient and methodical. One of the reasons I always enjoyed running was that you could just go and do it on a whim - now it takes a bit more thought and planning. Unfortunately, there are no clear-cut rules, just guidelines, as everyone is different (a phrase you will hear often here
🙂).
It depends partly on when you intend to run. I used to get up 5:30 am, have a cuppa and go out for a run, and eat breakfast afterwards. I can't do that now, as I need to increase my blood glucose from its fasting, overnight levels by eating breakfast and also have some insulin so that it is 'circulating' and available to convert the glucose to energy for the cells (I discovered that my 'background' long-acting insulin is insufficient). For breakfast I usually have toast or porridge - low GI foods that will release their energy slowly. I wait about an hour after breakfast before preparing to go for a run. Remember also that you'll be burning lots of calories, hence my remarks earlier about carbs.
You have to make sure that your blood glucose levels are high enough to prevent a hypo. For me, this means not starting a run if it's less than 6 mmol/l. If it is, then I have 100ml of fresh orange juice, and this 'tops me up' sufficiently. Note: if it's below 5 I'd also have something more substantial, wait for maybe 30 mins and test again. If it's above 6 then I personally know that I'm OK to run up to 5 miles without risk. If it's high, above 11, then I would wait until it went a bit lower, but this hasn't happened to me often.
Some sources recommend that you test BG every 30 minutes, but I can't be bothered to do that and so far have found I am ok. I do test after the run though, to see what effect it has had. I keep a record of starting BG, length/time of run and ending BG so that I can spot patterns of reactions. Something to note which seems counter-intuitive is that your BG can actually increase during/after exercise as adrenalin can stimulate your liver to produce more glucose - so you will see that it is not straightforward!
Exercise makes the body use insulin more efficiently, and it may be necessary to inject less insulin both before the run and after - the effect can last for up to a day, and I find that cutting my amount by about 25% before the run and 25% before my next meal prevents me going too low. Again, it is trial and error and building up a picture of how it works for you.
For runs of longer than 5 miles I need to top up my BG, so I take along some jelly babies - you could also drink juice or have dextrose tablets. Again, how much you need will depend on how you feel and what you observe from your testing - I find that 3-4 jelly babies per 30 mins is OK to keep me going. I don't usually take anything to drink on a run of less than 10 miles.
Although I don't test when I'm out, I do take my meter with me in case I feel hypo and need to test - haven't needed to so far. Also, carry identification which shows you are diabetic with contact numbers and instructions.
Hope this helps. It's a real learning curve at first getting to know your body and how it's going to react, but once established becomes much easier. As a marathon runner already you'll have a very good understanding of how well your body copes with the stresses of exercise so you have a head start on those who are starting an exercise programme for the first time.
If there's anything else you want to know, let me know and I'll try my best to answer. You might be interested in a book 'The Diabetic Athlete' - details are in the recommended books section of this site.
Finally, do discuss any concerns with your medical team and take care at all times.
Enjoy your running!
